I am a person of many
cultures and influences, born in the West Midlands in the middle of what was
then termed the Black Country—and that is nothing to do with race but
industry—in England to Nigerian parents who were students from the Western
Region of Nigeria in the 1960s.
Early Years Between
Two Worlds
For about the first
five years, I was an only child until siblings appeared in quick succession
when we returned to Nigeria. I have lived in Kaduna and Jos in the North of
Nigeria and have blogged extensively about my childhood in Jos, of which I have
fond memories.
We moved to Southern
Nigeria in the late 1970s. I was in Sagamu, where I attended secondary boarding
school because my parents wanted to toughen me up and get me to imbibe the
culture, learn our traditions, and speak the lingo. I have my misgivings about
this decision, and much as I am moulded by the experience, I retain no enduring
ties from there, neither in friends nor alumni.
Education and Early
Career
We lived in Lagos,
where I had part of a failed tertiary education, ruinous students' union
politics, and eventually started over again after stints in Chemical
Engineering and Electrical Engineering. I finally settled on
Electrical/Electronic Engineering because I was interested in computers.
Working for a
computer services company, I ended up in the middle of a desktop publishing
phenomenon that swept other legal publishers—including one of great renown and
civil rights accomplishments—out of the way. I became a partner in a company,
and during a business visit to the UK, I discovered there was a marketplace for
my skills if I was ready for the opportunities.
Return to the UK
After returning to
Nigeria, I planned my return to the UK for pastures anew, to keep abreast of
technology and pursue the makings of a senior computer geek, a vocation in
which I both thrived and was successful.
London, Ipswich,
London, and Ipswich again was the point at which an occupational
psychotherapist told me I was suffering the classic signs of a mid-life crisis
ten years early. The end of a seven-year relationship hastened things along.
Life in the
Netherlands
That is how I landed
in the Netherlands as an Englishman abroad: a new life, a changed life, a
postgraduate qualification in Computer Science, many interesting jobs and
projects, with a personal blog running since December 2003 that started at the
defunct http://akin.blog-city.com
with opinions that reflect a rather libertarian view of issues. I migrated the
whole blog here between 2010 and the beginning of 2012.
Facing Mortality and
Renewal
Oh! There was a brush
with cancer in 2009: all that pain, five months of chemotherapy, and the
struggle to rebuild my life again without losing my zest for living, my humour,
and sometimes crazy optimism. I suppose when you have had a close encounter with
death, it puts a lot of things into perspective.
Present Day and
Future
Now, I have been back
in the UK since August 2012, recently celebrated my diamond jubilee, a
pseudo-grandpa failing to escape the grip of adolescence. I have fallen in love
with an extraordinarily handsome Zimbabwean since 2018, and we have plans,
exciting plans indeed. His name is Brian.
Cancer Strikes Again,
Life Continues
In 2024, cancer came
calling once more, this time with a prostate cancer diagnosis. I underwent
radiotherapy, and the treatment has been successful. The cancer is now in
remission and under half-yearly monitoring. When you have faced mortality
twice, you learn that resilience is not just about bouncing back; it is about
continuing to move forward with purpose and gratitude.
Living Fully
I would hate to think
of where my youth has gone. I have ideas for all sorts of exciting things, like
someone with a new lease of life, and in the midst of that, I love travel,
history, architecture, the sun, photography, and good food.
I am yours truly.
